Sleeping Warrior Challenge
by littlemagicme
Summary: sleeping warrior seven day challenge. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Done for the seven day sleeping warrior challenge. Although fair warning, I'm still deciding if I am going to do the last day or not.**

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**Day One: Holding Hands**

It had been three days since Aurora attempted to kill Snow. Since then, she had been in the back of the group, left mostly to her own thoughts. They had been traveling to Snow's castle. She took the lead, always with Emma right behind her. They mostly talked about their own world, so Aurora couldn't have followed the conversation if she wanted to.

Behind Snow and her daughter was the warrior woman, Mulan. She never said anything unless asked a direct question, but would periodically glance back at the princess to make sure she was still there. Aurora knew Mulan was hiding something and mentally struggled with it constantly, but hadn't known her long enough to be able to begin guessing at it. She was still convinced the warrior was in love with Phillip.

Phillip.

Even the thought of his name made the weight in her chest ache. She feared she would never be able to love again. Ever since they had lost him, she had felt her heart like a weight in her chest. Phillip had been her true love, even though they had not known each other for a long time. Their relationship was an arranged one. She had also grown up secluded from most people and had never been in love before. And now, it had been two weeks since she had seen him alive.

Suddenly, Aurora felt herself stumbling. She was always tripping over things out here. Normally she was able to regain balance quickly. But because she was so deep in thought, she was lucky she managed to catch herself with her hands. She was grumbling to herself and trying to detangle her shawl from a bramble bush when a pair of boots entered her field of vision. Her imagination got the better of her. Thinking she was about to be attacked, Aurora slowly looked up.

She was relieved to see Mulan looking down at her, concern clearly painted across her face. Aurora noted that that was the most emotion Mulan had shown since the wraith. The other woman's gaze traveled from Aurora to the brambles. Mulan helped Aurora untangle the shawl. Then, much to Aurora's surprise, she extended her hand down to her to help the fallen girl up. Aurora happily took the offered hand, but was unprepared for the shiver the contact sent up her arm and into her spine. She glanced up at Mulan, who seemed oblivious to her reaction.

Once she was back on her feet, Aurora had expected Mulan to head off again ahead of her. But again, she was surprised by Mulan's actions. The warrior silently fell into step with her, and they continued their journey side by side. Aurora wanted to say something to her companion, but had no idea where to begin, so she opted to remain quiet as well.

They only parted when they began to make camp for the night. It was then that Aurora felt the weight in her chest again. She hadn't noticed it had been gone until it returned. Upon further contemplation, she realized it left when she had taken Mulan's hand. The shiver now made sense. All the princess could do was smile to herself. The warrior had made her feel better than she had in weeks. She had done it without saying a word, and with the slightest touch.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is my first time using dialogue. hope it is done correctly. Enjoy**

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**Day Two: Cuddling**

Mulan sat on guard duty a little ways away from the fire. She enjoyed the time alone with her thoughts. The time was usually spent strategizing for if they were attacked, but lately the only things on her mind were thoughts of Aurora. Her original opinion of the princess was that she did everything she was told and expected others to do things for her. She had pegged Aurora as a classic "damsel in distress". Boy, she had never been so wrong about someone in her life. Aurora turned out to be witty, stubborn, brave, _fierce_. Of course, she still wasn't the outdoor type. That was proven by her ability to trip over everything under the sun. This didn't detract from, if put in the right environment, the princess was filled with more poise and grace than anyone Mulan had ever met. In short, Mulan now had a great respect for her new companion, and in truth, came to really care for her.

Coming to this conclusion, Mulan looked up to see where the moon was. Her shift was over when the moon reached half way across to sky. Then she would go wake Snow for her turn and crawl into the makeshift shelter she always shared with Aurora. She scanned the night sky, but the moon was not there. Her face still angled up, she felt something wet hit her cheek. Mulan blinked, slightly surprised by the sudden drop when the sky opened and the rain started pouring down. The warrior steeled herself, prepared to spend the rest of her shift soaked through when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Snow standing behind her.

"Go ahead inside; there is no point in any of us sitting out here only to catch a cold."

Mulan was going to argue saying that someone needed to keep watch, but seeing the logic in Snow's words nodded and got up. Snow went back to her shelter she shared with Emma as Mulan crawled into the other one. She was taking off her armor slowly and carefully so she wouldn't wake the sleeping princess. As she was lying down, thunder could be heard rolling across the nearby mountains. Aurora shot up with a slight yelp, which caused Mulan to sit up also, concerned Aurora was having another nightmare.

"Aurora, are you okay?" Mulan instantly reprimanded herself. Of course she wasn't okay, if she was; she would not have just jumped out of sleep like that.

"I will be thank you. It is just that I'm terrified of thunder." The response was quiet. Aurora was obviously embarrassed by the small confession.

Mulan personally enjoyed the sound of thunder. In her mind, thunder was power. It demanded respect along with the lightning that so often accompanied it.

Even in the dark, Mulan could see Aurora trembling. She felt bad for the frightened girl. Tentatively, she asked Aurora if she wanted to come and lie down with her. The question was answered by silence. Mulan was terrified she had crossed a line, but as more thunder was heard, Aurora scrambled closer.

Mulan was already on her back with her fingers laced behind her head. Aurora took this as an invitation to rest her head on the warrior's shoulder and curl up right alongside her. She was on her side, facing Mulan. These actions surprised Mulan, but she was happy that Aurora was this comfortable with her even in the short time they had known each other. Mulan freed her arm and wrapped it around Aurora's still shaking figure. Aurora slowly stopped her trembling and her breathing slowed as she began to calm down. They stayed that way for some time, neither sleeping nor talking. Then the rain slowed to a stop and with one final thunder clap, all was quiet.

It was broken by Aurora.

"Mulan?"

"Yes, Aurora?"

"Would you mind terribly if I stayed here with you, even though the storm stopped?"

"I would be honored if you stayed with me."

And that was all Aurora needed. Her arm slowly snaked across Mulan, coming to rest across her stomach pulling them closer than Mulan thought possible. With that, her breath slowed even more as the princess drifted off to sleep. Mulan closed her eyes, beaming into the darkness. She felt wanted, she felt loved. Aurora made her happier than she had felt in a long time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the delay everyone. This one is a little AU in that Philip is dead with no hope of coming back. Thanks for reading and please review.**

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**Day Three: Kiss**

Aurora woke up in Mulan's arms like she had been doing every morning for the past month. For the past week, they had been alone. Snow and Emma had made it back to their world, and Mulan had put Aurora's heart back. What was different about this morning was that Aurora had woken up before the warrior. This had never happened before, because Mulan was always up at dawn. Aurora took advantage of the situation to watch Mulan sleep. She looked so calm and peaceful asleep. Although Aurora had always thought Mulan was beautiful, she look positively gorgeous in the early morning light with her hair down and wearing only simple breeches and a cotton undershirt.

Aurora had become comfortable with Mulan very quickly, but her realization that she was in fact in love with her had taken a few weeks. She had loved Philip, and he still had a special place in her heart, but he was dead. Aurora knew that her best chance at happiness was to try to move on. The only person she wanted to try a new life with was Mulan. Her only problem was that Mulan did not know how Aurora felt. Aurora propped herself up on her elbow to get a better view of Mulan. Her focus settled on Mulan's lips. She wondered, not for the first time, what it would feel like to put her lips against the others. She decided that that would be her new goal.

Slowly, Mulan's dark eyes fluttered open.

Mulan could feel the sun on her face and knew she had overslept. She had not fallen asleep until very late the night before because of the woman sleeping next to her. In fact, Aurora had practically been on top of her. Mulan had realized her feelings for the princess when she had replaced her heart back into her chest. It was the closest she had ever felt to anyone. She could not help but to be overflowing with joy when Aurora looked at her, heart newly restored. It was then she realized how much she loved her. Of course, Mulan had no idea what to do with these emotions. Mulan opened her eyes to have her entire field of vision filled by Aurora's face. In Mulan's mind, there was not a better view to wake up too.

"Good morning, sleepy," Aurora greeted.

"Hey," Mulan replied, smiling. "How long have you been up?"

Aurora smiled back. She loved Mulan's smile and had been seeing it more often since she had gotten her heart back.

"Oh, not that long, perhaps ten minutes."

"And what have you been doing in those ten minutes?" Mulan asked, curious to know why Aurora hadn't woken her up or gotten up herself.

"You looked so content, and I didn't want to wake you."

Mulan thought she was going to say something more, but when Aurora closed her mouth, Mulan realized just how close they were. She needed to move away from Aurora before she lost control.

"Well I'm up now. We have to move on."

Aurora snuggled closer. "We don't_ have_ to do anything. We don't have a destination or anything to do. What's stopping us from staying here, at least for a little while?"

Mulan could think of a perfectly good reason she wanted to move on. Too much idle time with Aurora could lead her to do something she might regret. "Fine, we _should_ move on. It is dangerous to stay in one place for too long."

Aurora sighed, she didn't like how sound Mulan's logic was. It was going to be hard to reach her little goal if they were constantly on the move. She stood up and started to walk away.

Mulan inwardly cursed herself as she saw the princess stalk away. She scrambled up and called after her. When Aurora didn't turn around, Mulan ran after her and grabbed her from behind. Aurora whipped around and the next thing Mulan knew was that she was on her back with a very content princess sitting on her stomach. Mulan then remembered the hours of self defense she had put Aurora through. Beyond that, every other thought had left her mind.

"Yes Mulan, what is it you wanted to say?" Aurora asked in her sweetest voice. She knew as soon as she saw Mulan stuck under her that this was her best chance to get her kiss. She just had to build up the courage.

Mulan had yet to regain the ability to think. All she could do was stutter, "I, umm….. well. Ugh…." All of the sudden, Aurora surged forward.

Aurora didn't know what happened. Mulan seemed unable to speak. She thought it was quite adorable, actually. Maybe it was to get Mulan to stop trying to communicate or to put her out of her misery. All she knew was that she had quickly leaned in and given Mulan her kiss. It wasn't more than a peck on the lips but she remained laying on top of Mulan after. It was effective. Mulan just stared at her, all attempts at speech forgotten.

Mulan looked at Aurora, their faces still very close. It took her a minute to comprehend what just happened. If Aurora seemed content before, she was positively prideful now. Mulan realized Aurora had wanted to do that for some time now. Finally she was able to put a coherent thought together.

"I decided you are right." She said with a sly smile.

Aurora looked at her surprised. "About staying here for a little?"

All Mulan did was nod.

"What's the catch?"

Mulan placed her hand on the back of Aurora's and pulled her in for a longer, but still chaste kiss. When they separated, she said, "We do that more often."

Aurora was ecstatic about Mulan's idea and leaned in for more. Passion chased chastity out of their kisses as the battle of the tongues ensued.


	4. Chapter 4

**AU Aurora and Mulan went through the portal with Snow and Emma. Please enjoy and review!**

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**Day Four: Surrender**

It was their first week in Storybrooke. Everything was new, strange, and exciting. They had been invited to a party at Regina's house. Aurora and Mulan had been together for a few weeks now and were still exploring their relationship. They had agreed to keep it to themselves because they weren't sure how everyone else in the town would react.

They made their way up the front walkway. When they went in, the party was already in full swing. At the door, they were greeted by a slightly tipsy Snow and a very drunk Emma. They were introduced to some of the other guests, talked with the hostess, and had drinks shoved into their hands. Mulan sniffed the liquid in the glass.

Alcohol.

She had seen what alcohol could do to a soldier and went to put the cup down on the counter. Her hand was stopped by Aurora's.

"Mulan, aren't you going to try it?"

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Come on, we are at a party, it is okay to drink a little!"

Mulan glanced at Aurora. "It's dangerous for a soldier to get drunk."

At this Aurora smiled, leaned in, and whispered, "I won't let you drink too much."

Mulan thought about this for a moment and then took a sip from her drink. It tasted fantastic. As the party continued the drinks continued to flow freely. Aurora's promise to cut Mulan off was completely forgotten. When the party was over, they stumbled home together.

The next morning, Mulan woke up in her bed, naked, with an equally naked Aurora next to her. She laid there with her head pounding trying to recall the events of the previous night. She remembered Aurora getting her to start drinking, dancing, coming home, and….. enjoying Aurora's company. She turned her head to look at the still sleeping form of Aurora. Mulan thought she should be angry with herself for not controlling herself, but she couldn't. In fact she was happy she had given into Aurora at the party.


	5. Chapter 5

**I thought I would try writing in first person. Please let me know what you think!**

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**Day Five: Vow**

I was setting up camp as I do every evening. Aurora was sitting off to the side with her back against a tree. She seemed to be deep in thought. I thought there might be something wrong and wanted to see if there was something I could do to make her feel better. Not sure how else to go about it, I started simple, asking her if she was alright.

"Why don't you just leave me somewhere?" she said. It took me a moment to figure out that that was what she had been thinking about.

Confused as to why she would ask such a thing, I asked, "Why would I leave you somewhere?"

She looked up at me. Her expression blatantly saying I should know the answer. In reality, I didn't.

"I slow you down, I am of no use; in fact, I make more work for you. It isn't fair that you should have to put up with me. Yet you keep me around….." she trailed off on the verge of tears. "Why?" she whispered.

Before I could stop myself, I started the practiced response, "Because I promised Philip, and my honor-"

She cut me off, "Yes, yes, your honor would not allow you to abandon a promise, but Philip is dead. Nothing is stopping you."

I stopped what I was doing to crouch in front of her. It sounded like she wanted me to leave her somewhere but her tears said otherwise. I wondered why this woman was so damn complicated. I tried to answer her question again.

"Aurora, I keep you with me because I enjoy having someone with me. It is true I have had to travel alone before. It is lonely and maddening. You keep me sane and I have something worth protecting. Your presence is a gift to me."

She looked at me with the biggest eyes I have seen to date. I think we were both a little surprised about how much I had opened up to her in those few sentences. I don't know what it is about her, but she brings out the more emotional side of me that I spent years trying to subdue. Strangely, I don't mind that much.

Putting my hand on her arm in what I hoped was a reassuring gesture, I said with all seriousness, "And I promise you, I will fight for you and protect you" and with a small smile forming I added, "even if there comes a time where you don't think you need it."

With tears still in her eyes a huge smile spread across her face. She lunged forward, knocking me back to land on my rear. When I could comprehend what just happened, I already had Aurora hugging me around my middle. My arms wrapped around her on their own accord. We sat there for some time not moving and not saying anything. Finally she lifted her head. "Thank you, Mulan."

Still not entirely sure this was all really happening, I looked at her. "For what?" I asked again genuinely confused.

She put her head back down on my chest. I could barely hear her answer: "For wanting me."


	6. Chapter 6

**The cherry blossom idea came from the Disney movie Mulan. I know this isn't much of a fight, but I wanted to have them apologizing to each other and show Mulan's sentimental side. Also, in the first chapter, I said that I was not sure if I wanted to do Day 7. I decided I am going to do it, in case anyone cared. Finally please review. I know a lot of people are reading, but no one seems to have anything to say. Thanks for reading though!**

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**Day Six: Fight**

"Aurora!"

Her head shot up, knowing she had been caught in an unpleasant situation.

"I was looking for it, but the main pouch was left open and I saw this. It's beautiful, what is it?"

Mulan had asked Aurora to get the small folding knife from the front pocket of her pack. After a few minutes, she wondered what was taking the princess so long. When Mulan saw the object in her hand, she thought her heart stopped.

Completely ignoring the question, Mulan snatched the object from Aurora. "You had no right to go through my bag like that!"

"But you asked me to get something out of it for you." Aurora countered, utterly bewildered. She had no idea what had set Mulan off. It wasn't like she had been rummaging through the bag; the object had been sitting just inside.

"And I told you exactly where the knife was!" Mulan yelled, completely forgetting that such volumes could attract ogres. "I told you it was in the front pocket, you didn't need to be in that section of the bag!"

"It was open and that was sitting on top of everything else! I would have to be blind to miss it." Aurora yelled back, gesturing to the object still in Mulan's hand. Mulan instinctively pulled that hand closer to her chest, as if to protect it from the gesture.

"Then you should not have picked it up. What I keep in my bag is none of your concern."

With that Mulan grabbed the knife she needed and went back to building the shelter. Aurora got up from the ground and stalked off into the woods to blow off some steam. She collapsed at the base of a tree not far from the camp. After sitting there for about half an hour going over what had been said, she came to the conclusion that she should go apologize to Mulan. The object had obviously been extremely special to Mulan for her to react that way.

Aurora still didn't know what the object was. It had been a small wooden carving of what looked like a flower, though Aurora had no idea what kind. She thought it was really beautiful and curiosity had gotten the better of her. After realizing her fault, Aurora spent another couple minutes planning just how to apologize. Finally, she got up and headed back to the camp.

When she got there, Mulan had finished setting up and was sitting with her back to the woods facing a fire. Aurora, not sure how to proceed, stopped just past the tree line. She called out quietly, "Mulan?"

The other girl didn't even bother turning around. "What?" Her voice was harsh. Aurora flinched and was momentarily grateful Mulan still had her back to her.

"I ugh, well…" Aurora began, but found she had entirely forgotten her little speech. She started over, "You are right; I should not have invaded your privacy like that. I'm sorry." It came out quietly. At first, Aurora was worried Mulan had not heard her or even worst, was choosing to ignore her. Eventually, Mulan twisted around in her seat. Aurora was not prepared for how sad the warrior looked. Silently, Mulan beckoned Aurora to sit next to her. As she drew closer, Aurora could see tear tracks down Mulan's face. The idea of Mulan crying shocked her. She gracelessly plopped herself down next to the emotional warrior and looked at her expectantly.

Mulan studied Aurora's face for a moment then said, "I'm also sorry. I should have better control over my temper."

Aurora barely heard her. She was still unsettled about Mulan crying. Worried she might have caused it, she slowly put her hand on Mulan's back. When the warrior didn't flinch away, Aurora got the courage to speak.

"Mulan, are you okay?"

"I'm…." Mulan trailed off. She glanced at the ground for a moment as if trying to make up her mind quickly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small carving. She looked at it, sighed, held it out for Aurora to see. Looking at Aurora, she started again. "Do you know what this is?"

Aurora was confused by this change in topic, but answered, "A carving of a flower?"

"Yes, but do you know what kind?"

Aurora looked at it. She had never seen a flower like it before and said so to Mulan.

Mulan retracted her arm to cradle the carving in her hands. Staring at it, she said simply, "It is a cherry blossom."

Aurora looked at the flower again. Of course she had not recognized it. She had only ever heard of cherry blossoms before. They were not native to her lands. They were native to the east, Mulan's homeland.

"My father had a cherry blossom tree in his garden. He once compared me too it. Later, he gave me this to remember it. I took it with me when I left. When I returned, the village and my home were destroyed. This carving and I are the only things left. I hold it very close to my heart." As she finished new tears threatened to spill out of her eyes. Aurora didn't know what to say, so she did the next best thing. Carefully, she wrapped her arms around Mulan's middle and rested her head on her shoulder. Mulan then rested her head on top of Aurora's and they sat like that in comforting silence.


	7. Chapter 7

**What happened the night after the party in chapter 4. Enjoy.**

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**Day Seven**

Aurora stood outside the apartment she shared with Mulan. The warrior was having the battle of her life with a key against a locked door, much to Aurora's amusement. They had just gotten home from a party at Regina's. There had been games, dancing, and drinking. Both women were a little drunk. Mulan finally got the door open and they went inside. After setting the keys down, Mulan headed for her bedroom. Aurora, not wanting to be alone and deciding she wanted to cuddle with her girlfriend followed.

She stood in the doorway, watching Mulan sit on the edge of her bed and lay back. As if controlled by some other force, she glided across the room to sit on the floor, by the bed. She reached up to remove Mulan's boots. Feeling the tugging on her calves and feet, Mulan sat up to see what was going on. Aurora felt eyes on her and looked up sheepishly. Mulan just looked at her mildly confused.

"What the hell are you doing down there?"

Aurora hesitated before answering. "I was just taking off your boots for you. I have no idea why, but I was."

Mulan smiled at her. She would have found this a little strange if it hadn't been for the alcohol still in her system. Instead, she slid off of the bed to sit on the floor opposite Aurora. Without breaking eye contact, she reached for the princess' feet and pulled them onto her lap. Mulan worked the clasps of her high heels undone, freeing Aurora's feet as well. As she was working, she absentmindedly asked, "So did you enjoy the party?"

Aurora looked up distracted by the question. "Yeah, I really like the way they dance here."

Mulan, having finished with the shoes, looked at Aurora, "That dress of yours looks rather tight. Do you want me to help you take it off too?"

She had said it so blatantly and calmly that Aurora wasn't sure if she had heard correctly. She was stunned. Her mind thought of all of the interesting things that could happen, if she accepted the offer. Finally, she was able to reply. "I, umm, yes, please." She stood up and turned around; pulling her hair over her left shoulder so Mulan could get at the zipper in the back. Mulan got up behind her with a sly smile on her face.

"So what do you like about the dancing here?" Mulan continued with the original conversation as if nothing about the situation was new or exciting. She began pushing the dress down Aurora's body, revealing her matching, green underwear. Aurora waited for it to hit the ground before she answered.

"Well it is just different," she said stepping out of the dress and turning to face Mulan. "I mean in the court where I grew up, the only dancing we did was like this." She rested her hands on Mulan's shoulders, pushing her jacket off in the process. As it fell to the floor, Aurora continued. "There was so much space between the two people. Here there are just so many more options. For starters, I can be so much closer to you," Aurora snaked her arms around Mulan's neck. She took a step closer, but there was still a lot of space between them. "And I can put my hands on your hips if I want." With that, Aurora let her hands slide down Mulan's sides. They stopped when they were at her hips. After a moment Aurora added, "But, I think I prefer them higher." Her hands closed around the hem of Mulan's shirt and pulled it up over her head. Mulan had been startled by the movement and pulled back, effectively even though unconsciously helping Aurora remove the shirt.

Aurora's eyes roamed over Mulan's newly exposed body, drinking in the sight. She was pulled back into the conversation when Mulan prompted, "Well what other ways of dancing did you pick up on tonight?"

"There was the way where the people weren't facing each other at all," Aurora said, dropping the shirt. She walked over to Mulan gently turning her around. With her body pressed right up against the other woman's back, she wrapped her arms around her waist. "Although I see why they would like it." Aurora finished as she undid the button of Mulan's jeans. With a little push they fell. Mulan stepped out of them, leaving them next to the dress, and turned back to Aurora.

"I don't like that way as much. You know I'm not much of a dancer, so if I am going to, I want to be able to look at your face." While Mulan was talking, she had closed the gap between them. Aurora smiled at her and pulled her in for a kiss.

It was tentative at first. They had never been drunk together before or this exposed. Slowly, desire took over and the kiss deepened. Aurora nipped at Mulan's bottom lip, receiving access to her mouth. Mulan started fumbling with the clasp of Aurora's bra as Aurora guided them back to the bed. Mulan succeeded much faster with the bra than she had with the door earlier that night. Tossing it aside, she ran her hands over Aurora's breasts. Aurora gasped into Mulan's mouth at the touch. Feeling the bed against the back of her legs, she broke the kiss and sat down. She gazed up at Mulan, again taking in the perfect sight. She pulled Mulan down to sit next to her and they resumed kissing. Aurora reached around Mulan to remove her bra, tossing it with the other clothes.

They continued this way for a little while caressing each other until Mulan made the next move. Pushing Aurora back onto the bed, she climbed over the princess. Pausing, they silently confirmed that this was going to happen. Aurora was excited and nervous. Mulan moved down to pull Aurora's panties off. Once they cleared the feet, Mulan went back for more kissing. She could feel Aurora pushing her own panties down with her toes, her hands being occupied in Mulan's hair. Mulan then straddled Aurora's thigh, placing one of her own against Aurora's center. Still kissing passionately, they began to rock against one another. As they got closer to finishing, Aurora wrapped her free leg around Mulan's ass, adding pressure to the contact. Mulan reached her high first, followed shortly by Aurora. Mulan collapsed next to Aurora who pulled the blankets over them.

Aurora rolled over to face Mulan with a huge smile. "That was amazing." It came out as a whisper. She was still out of breath. Mulan just smiled and tucked a few lone strands of hair behind Aurora's ear. Still smiling, Aurora snuggled into Mulan. As they were dozing off, Mulan murmured quietly, "I love you."


End file.
